When I was living in Carmarthen we used to go out to Merlin's Hill. I don't think there's public access up there, but we were young and foolish. I remember trying to sneak past the farm without the dogs spotting us.
Up at the top is a beautiful meadow. I remember taking a very large pink kite up there and flying it. Some friends back home were looking out for the kite, but although Merlin's Hill itself is really obvious from town, the kite was too darned small. Happy (and in hindsight very innocent) memories. This is a beautiful spot!
The end or final fate of Merlin is surrounded by mysteries. A few years ago when I was staying n the neighbourhood of Carmarthen, Merlin's Hill (Bryn Myrddin) was pointed out to me where the great magician still lives (so they say) in a cave in that hill, and held there in imprisonment by an artful woman who contrived his disappearance from among human beings. Moreover, it is added, that if you listen in the twilight, you will hear his groans, and also the clanking of the iron chains which hold him bound. Others say he is heard working in this underground prison.
From 'Folklore of West and Mid-Wales' by J C Davies (1911).
The Coflein record says that "A single massive rampart crowns a visually distinctive, flat-topped hill, creating a roughly triangular enclosure, about 300m east-west by 180m." Visually distinctive eh, catching the eye of those folk and their stories. Marie Trevelyan tells us:
Merlin's Cave is in Merlin's Hill, above the secluded village of Abergwilli, near Carmarthen. Old stories state that Merlin is held there in bonds of enchantment by Nimue-Vivien, and it was firmly believed in the eighteenth century that the celebrated magician could be heard at certain seasons of the year bewailing his folly in allowing a woman to learn his secret spell.
This webcam has Carmarthen in the forground and Merlin's Hill in the distance (on the horizon to the right of the church tower). The camera is very strangely positioned, so I'm not sure if it's been accidentally moved, or if this is the intended view.
The Merlin's Hill Centre have designed nature trails that lead you up onto the fort. Also, choose 'Merlin' from their index for a drawing of the fort in the Iron Age complete with pointy roundhouses, and the river winding through the valley below.
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